A Packed House at the Royal Ontario Museum’s Archaeology Fair
December 13, 2012

On Saturday 20th October the Royal Ontario Museum, together with the AIA-Toronto Society, organized a day of events to celebrate National Archaeology Day.  Nearly 3000 visitors enjoyed the many archaeologically-themed activities for all the family in Currelly Hall.  Children and adults alike made their own Minoan head-dresses and Egyptian collars, explored the ROM with an archaeological scavenger hunt, wrote their names in ancient scripts, learnt how to think like archaeologists through excavation and fieldwork activities, and discovered conservation methods by mending broken pots.  Throughout the day, ROM curators and conservators presented ancient bronze, ceramic and glass objects and Greek and Roman coins to fascinated audiences, while archaeology students from the University of Toronto talked about their fieldwork experiences on excavations in Turkey, Syria, Crete and Peru.  Re-enactors from the War of 1812 (soldiers from the Glengarry Light Infantry, and Dr Dunnfore, a field medic) brought the past to life with demonstrations and military drills. At the same time, in the Eaton Lecture Theatre ROM curators and visiting speakers gave a series of public lectures about archaeology ranging from Ancient Mesopotamia, Greece and Cyprus to Peru.  For more details of the day see the ROM blog building up to the event at http://www.rom.on.ca/en/blog/national-archaeology-day-rom.